Seeking local solutions to end childhood homelessness

Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:34 p.m.

Right now, Sherri Reynolds with the Sarasota County School District estimates that roughly 400 homeless students are enrolled in Sarasota County public schools. The Sarasota County School Board contracts with the Sarasota Y Schoolhouse Link program to connect these kids and their families to social services in order to stabilize their situation.

By the end of this school year, like last year, it is anticipated, there will be more than 900 homeless youths in the county. If they're not staying in a shelter, their families might be doubled up at a friend's home, living in a campground or in a cheap motel room, or sleeping in a car. Some students are "unaccompanied youths" who aren't in the custody of any guardian, perhaps after "aging out" of foster care. And the numbers don't include families who choose to hide their circumstances for fear of being split up.

Since the onset of the recent recession, the problem has increased, with more families on the edge finding fewer options available to them.

Homelessness in Sarasota County has become a prominent topic on newspaper pages and in public forums. That is important, because homelessness is a community issue. Concerned citizens should realize that this is not just a problem on our streets. It also affects our classrooms.

For several months, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation has been working with a group of frontline service providers to understand the particular challenges faced by homeless children and the root causes of their situation.

The group has inventoried services and identified areas where new or better-coordinated services will help. Our board focused on homeless students because access to resources can become more difficult when children are involved. As one board member put it: "If I'm on the street, I can get a shower; I can get a meal. But if I have a child with me, where do I go?"

Our work started with Schoolhouse Link, which connects families to nearly 20 different agencies for things like emergency shelter, food, transportation, child care and job assistance.

Our next step was convening many of those agencies under one tent to identify gaps in services and prioritize needs, now and for the long term. We have strategized with the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, United Way 2-1-1, Resurrection House, North Port Social Services and Jewish Family and Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee.

We have several goals for this initiative: improved coordination of services; better data collection to measure success; providing immediate resources like motel and gas vouchers to families in need; and linking families to job training. Ultimately, we seek to initiate a long-term plan to establish a first-class system of services for homeless children and their families, so they can find and maintain more permanent housing.

We have made progress. Gulf Coast funded an additional caseworker at Schoolhouse Link who is focusing on the area identified as having the greatest need -- southern Sarasota County. We also purchased a database that Schoolhouse Link will use to better track families and the services they receive, so we can truly measure success.

But we know that gaps remain, even in serving this one segment of our wider homeless population. To close them and ensure that any family who wants help can get it, we believe several things are needed:

1. Credible countywide data, so we know things like how many families are homeless, how many hotel rooms and other emergency beds are available, and what it really costs to successfully help a family.

2. Organizations willing to step out of their comfort zones to fill gaps in services. We are working with several already, but we need more.

3. Courageous leadership to sustain this initiative in the future.

Local homeless-service providers have been battling these persistent challenges for a long time. We know that there is no quick fix. But we are committed to creating a long-term plan for success. Our board has earmarked up to $250,000 for this effort, and Gulf Coast donors are contributing their dollars to address an issue they cannot ignore.

Fortunately, the tent under which we are working has grown. For example, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight recently offered his office's support, and Take Stock in Children has joined us at the table.

As we test new ideas, nothing is off that table. We think the strategies identified will go a long way toward creating a systemic solution that moves families to stable living conditions.

As a community, we must fix this problem together. After all, successfully educating homeless students today is essential to decreasing our region's homeless population tomorrow.

Teri A. Hansen is president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

<p>Right now, Sherri Reynolds with the Sarasota County School District estimates that roughly 400 homeless students are enrolled in Sarasota County public schools. The Sarasota County School Board contracts with the Sarasota Y Schoolhouse Link program to connect these kids and their families to social services in order to stabilize their situation.</p><p>By the end of this school year, like last year, it is anticipated, there will be more than 900 homeless youths in the county. If they're not staying in a shelter, their families might be doubled up at a friend's home, living in a campground or in a cheap motel room, or sleeping in a car. Some students are "unaccompanied youths" who aren't in the custody of any guardian, perhaps after "aging out" of foster care. And the numbers don't include families who choose to hide their circumstances for fear of being split up.</p><p>Since the onset of the recent recession, the problem has increased, with more families on the edge finding fewer options available to them.</p><p>Homelessness in Sarasota County has become a prominent topic on newspaper pages and in public forums. That is important, because homelessness is a community issue. Concerned citizens should realize that this is not just a problem on our streets. It also affects our classrooms.</p><p>For several months, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation has been working with a group of frontline service providers to understand the particular challenges faced by homeless children and the root causes of their situation.</p><p>The group has inventoried services and identified areas where new or better-coordinated services will help. Our board focused on homeless students because access to resources can become more difficult when children are involved. As one board member put it: "If I'm on the street, I can get a shower; I can get a meal. But if I have a child with me, where do I go?"</p><p>Our work started with Schoolhouse Link, which connects families to nearly 20 different agencies for things like emergency shelter, food, transportation, child care and job assistance.</p><p>Our next step was convening many of those agencies under one tent to identify gaps in services and prioritize needs, now and for the long term. We have strategized with the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, United Way 2-1-1, Resurrection House, North Port Social Services and Jewish Family and Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee.</p><p>We have several goals for this initiative: improved coordination of services; better data collection to measure success; providing immediate resources like motel and gas vouchers to families in need; and linking families to job training. Ultimately, we seek to initiate a long-term plan to establish a first-class system of services for homeless children and their families, so they can find and maintain more permanent housing.</p><p>We have made progress. Gulf Coast funded an additional caseworker at Schoolhouse Link who is focusing on the area identified as having the greatest need -- southern Sarasota County. We also purchased a database that Schoolhouse Link will use to better track families and the services they receive, so we can truly measure success.</p><p>But we know that gaps remain, even in serving this one segment of our wider homeless population. To close them and ensure that any family who wants help can get it, we believe several things are needed:</p><p>1. Credible countywide data, so we know things like how many families are homeless, how many hotel rooms and other emergency beds are available, and what it really costs to successfully help a family.</p><p>2. Organizations willing to step out of their comfort zones to fill gaps in services. We are working with several already, but we need more.</p><p>3. Courageous leadership to sustain this initiative in the future.</p><p>Local homeless-service providers have been battling these persistent challenges for a long time. We know that there is no quick fix. But we are committed to creating a long-term plan for success. Our board has earmarked up to $250,000 for this effort, and Gulf Coast donors are contributing their dollars to address an issue they cannot ignore.</p><p>Fortunately, the tent under which we are working has grown. For example, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight recently offered his office's support, and Take Stock in Children has joined us at the table.</p><p>As we test new ideas, nothing is off that table. We think the strategies identified will go a long way toward creating a systemic solution that moves families to stable living conditions.</p><p>As a community, we must fix this problem together. After all, successfully educating homeless students today is essential to decreasing our region's homeless population tomorrow.</p><p>Teri A. Hansen is president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.</p>